martes, 28 de abril de 2015

Articles in English are very important, as we use them all the time. The three articles in English are a, an, and the. Here are some basic rules for understanding how to use these articles:The is the definite article. It is used before singular or plural nouns that are specificor particular. Here are some examples:"The girl who lives next door to me is really cute." This refers to a particular girl: the girl who lives next door."The president is a busy man." There is only one president, so we are referring to aspecific noun here."I love the books you gave me." Again, we're talking about particular books, the ones you gave me.A/an are the indefinite articles. We use a/an before general, non-specific nouns or to indicate membership in a group. A/an can only be used with countable, singular nouns. Here are some examples of how to use a/an:"Let's go see a movie tonight." Here we aren't talking about a specific movie, as we haven't said which movie we want to see."Cassie is an interpreter." Here, Cassie belongs to a group: interpreters. We use "an" instead of "a" because "interpreter" begins with a vowell."I hope I get a car for my birthday." This refers to any car. We don't know which car yet because we haven't gotten the car.Finally, all articles in English are invariable, meaning that they do not change if the noun is singular or plural, male or female. There are no other forms of the, an, or a. Copyright Englishbaby.comEXERCISE 1EXERCISE 2EXERCISE 3EXERCISE 4

martes, 7 de abril de 2015

‘used to + infinitive’ and ‘be/get used to’

People often get confused about the use of used to + infinitive and be/get used to + ‘ing’ form because they look similar. They are, however, completely different.

‘used to + infinitive’

We use ‘used to’ to talk about things that happened in the past – actions or states – that no longer happen now.

She used to be a long distance runner when she was younger.

I used to eat meat but I became a vegetarian 5 years ago.

The negative is ‘didn’t use to’ and questions are formed with ‘Did you use to …?’There is no present tense equivalent of ‘used to’. To talk about present habits we use the present simple and an adverb of frequency (usually, always, often, never, etc.)e.g. I often eat at the Japanese restaurant in the city centre.

‘be/get used to’

If you are used to something, you are accustomed to it – you don’t find it unusual. If youget used to something or you are getting used to something you are becoming accustomed to it – it was strange, now it’s not so strange.

I found Slovak food very strange at first but I’m used to it now.

I’m getting used to driving on the right.

Both ‘be used to’ and ‘get used to’ are followed by a noun (or pronoun) or the gerund – the ‘ing’ form of a verb.

I can’t get used to getting up so early. I’m tired all the time.

He’s not used to the weather here yet. He’s finding it very cold.

Difference Between 'Used to' and 'Would'

'Used to' can refer to permanent situations as well as habitual actions. Example:I used to be able to get up at nine o'clock every morning. = It was possible for me to do this in my past situation.'Would' only refers to actions, but not situations. Example:He'd get up early every morning. Not:He'd be able to get a good job in New York.